In light of the success of its screening campaigns in Bangangté, the SBA has chosen to reiterate its information and sensitisation campaigns at its Eau Claire centre (breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, cardo-vascular diseases and rheumatology). Furthermore, the SBA hopes to continue the trend of increasing hospital visits at its new Eau Claire centre, aiming to reach 50 to 60 monthly visits – compared to 22 visits per month today.
National Day is a holiday in Cameroon celebrated on 20 May.
On the 20th of May 1972, in a national referendum Cameroonians voted for a unitary state as opposed to the existing federal state. At this occasion children all over the country go to schools and celebrate this day usually by singing, carrying out parades or marches all around the different parts of their various cities
In Bangangté, in West Cameroon, SBA’s children of the centre L’eau Claire are part of the parade. And a rugby game was organised.
At the end of January our General Secretary, Odile, travelled to Cameroon.
An emotional journey, especially in regards to those in Bangangté, when she witnessed the final renovation of the school in Fatgo’o.
Thanks to the donations from the Foundation Sisley-d’Ornano, we were able to renovate the kindergarten class of the school in Fatgo’o and dig them a well. The later will be completed by the end of April. Odile’s visit to the site allowed the local officials, parents, future partners, and the television station Vox Africa to be present for the ceremony celebrating the new construction.
The Vox Africa coverage can be found here:
-At the 15’51” mark: http://www.voxafrica.com/barao-afrika/video/?v=0_hu44rgcz
Odile’s visit was also beneficial as she signed the purchase of land not far from the school in Fatgo’o in order to relocate our centre L’Eau Claire in 2017. The administrative steps are in order and the act of sale has been signed. The demarcation should take place on 18 April. We hope to start work this summer on the site. Our SBA rugby men will help clear the site, which will allow them to earn a little money while helping the SBA.
You can see pictures from the trip at the following link: https://goo.gl/photos/X5eW6d9P3iDGtkd29
During her trip, Odile was able to meet with several enterprise heads in Yaoundé, both French and Cameroonian in order to find internships or jobs for the young adults of the SBA. The clinic l’Université des Montagnes has agreed to summer internship for Roselyn and 8 CVs have been left with a building company in hopes of placing some of our resourceful students from the SBA Etoudi centre in Yaoundé.
Among other new projects put in place during Odile’s visit was a new partnership signed into being with a Cameroonian association, Arbre à Musique. So now the children from the SBA centre Jardin Eden will share the premises with Arbre à Musique. Its founder, who is originally from Cameroon, helps children flourish thanks to music. Along with music it is a very enriching program that also offers extra assistance to students passing their BAC with remedial courses and support from professors of the Lycée of Yaoundé. This is not a rugby centre, but one based on music and art with our resident artist, Christelle.
Odile also visited our Bafia centre where we offer housing to some children as you can see on the Vox Africa report. If “life is a long quiet river” as some say, then life in Bafia can be the complete opposite. Life in Africa shows us certain realities: famine, distress, lack of supplies, lack of clothes, incest, disease, shortage of electricity… many of these things that we take for granted in the West and that we at the SBA cannot ignore. At our Bafia centre we share 528 meals per month, host 6 children, pay for Jacky to be trained as a seamstress so she can come work at the centre in 18 months, pay for rent for a female student and her disabled mother, as well as tuition and medical care for all the children of the centre. Our success at this centre is due to our Chairperson in country, Dr. Ngamy, and our Centre Director, Jean Cyrille.
This visit Odile was unable to visit our centre in Zoetele, but was able to meet with the director, Abba. In February a rugby tournament was organized and the SBA was honoured. In November our Rugby manager and volunteer, Lionel, will travel to Cameroon to work with the rugby teams.
Overall it was a very successful and productive trip! Odile enjoyed being back with her ‘children’.
Thanks to Tony, our US Ambassador to the Serge Betsen Academy for the new helmets, Dan Sosso for the 37 pairs of shoes he was able to collect from the players in Washington DC and of course to Neville from HAE Group who is shipping the 3 big boxes to Cameroon. Photos to follow
Pictures : here !!!
On April 18th Serge Betsen, Lionel Quenardel a SBA volunteer who is a professor of EPS at Diderot Massy, and Jenna our SBA project leader arrived in Cameroon. Serge and Lionel stayed one week, while Jenna stayed for over a month to assist the Cameroon SBA directors.
Upon our arrival the centre L’eau Claire, we were greeted by the Bangangté rugby team, Djibril who is the centre’s director, and Elisabeth the SBA’s president in Cameroon.
We were pleasantly surprised as we were greeted with the local Haka in Medumba, the local language, which was performed by the rugby players! The originality of this Haka had its charm, but also instilled some fear from the performers!
Here are some pictures of the building progress in Bafia.
It was the main project of 2014, the tenth anniversary of Serge Betsen ACADEMY.
The photos were taken on October 26th, new updates will arrive shortly.
Thus, at present, the plastering and the joists are fully completed.
Testimony of Jean-Cyril, a leader of the Center “Abraham & Sarah”:
“About joists, I must inform you of the joy that is mine because the work was performed by two of our children who are in “Terminal Carpentry-Joinery” school level : Betsen André and Bertrand Bessong BEREM. Face to my refusal to intercede with the contractor to give them a part of the market for everything related to wood, they themselves fought for and obtained the joists lot, a small market of 350.000FCFA.Huge was my surprise when, at the end of the work, the contractor came to tell me that these children have displayed a professionalism that has confused him and that he regretted not having given their confidence more than that, related to the quality and strength of their work. Coming out from the mouth of that man I know quite picky, I must tell you that this is a point to be proud of.”
Here are some pictures of the project in Abang for which SBA has helped to finance.
This is the inauguration of the new well.
The SBA has received a donation of materials which makes the difference for the children.
We sincerely thank the Cameroonian company Group ARNO who generously provided our centres with more than 600 notebooks, hundreds of pens, chalks, slates, exercise book covers and math instruments kits for the start of the school year. This donation represents an important help for the children and their families as this period of the year is always very hard to face.
THANK YOU
Through a financial grant from the charity ALBOAN (https://www.facebook.com/alboan.btz), the center of Bangangté was able to repair his well. Other projects are under consideration.
The occasion also to give the jerseys used during 10 years in Bayonne.
